This invention relates to devices for venting urine drainage systems and collecting mid-stream urine samples in such systems.
Urine drainage systems are utilized when patients do not have any control over their urination, making it necessary for an uretheral catheter to be extended into the patient's bladder. The outlet end of the catheter is then directly or indirectly connected to a suitable urine collection reservoir, such as a flexible bag or the like, into which the urine drains by gravity. Even when the patient is not urinating, a column of previously collected urine can build up within the urine drainage system, which column of urine creates a suction at the inlet end of the catheter which can cause the bladder to prolapse around the catheter tip. This suction draws the bladder into the catheter inlet openings and can cause lesions to develop in the bladder mucosa. To eliminate this suction condition, vents are provided either directly in the catheter, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,314, granted Feb. 25, 1969, or vents are provided in an adapter unit interconnected between the outlet end of the catheter and the urine collection reservoir or conduit leading thereto. Such an adapter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,546, granted June 28, 1974. To prevent the ingress of bacteria into the urine drainage system, a bacteria filtering material is positioned over the vent-forming apertures involved in a manner which makes a liquid-tight seal with the defining walls thereof, thereby permitting the passage of air into the urine drainage system, but preventing the passage of urine from, and bacteria with the air into, the urine drainage system.
It is frequently necessary to collect specimens of the uring flowing into the urine collection reservoir bag which is provided at the bottom thereof with a closeable drainage tube which is used to drain the urine collection bag. The obtainment of urine specimens for test purposes from this drainage tube is unsatisfactory except where the specimen is immediately collected as it enters the bag. However, when the urine drainage bag accumulates a body of urine draining therein over a period of time, the urine then collected represents urine specimens draining into the bag over a period of time. In order to collect the urine midstream without contamination by urine flow at different times, it has been found desirable to provide a means for collecting urine during its passage through the catheter into the urine drainage bag. Accordingly, a urine collection adapter unit is sometimes provided which is connected between the catheter extending to the bladder and the urine collection reservoir or conduit extending thereto, the adapter unit having a specimen collection port over which is secured a layer of natural rubber latex or the like which can be punctured by a needle but which forms an immediate seal upon withdrawal of the needle therefrom. A similar speciment collecting adapter is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,832,838, granted Apr. 29, 1958.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved catheter venting adapter unit which is designed so that it can be made on a mass-production basis at a minimum cost. A related object of the invention is to provide a method for making such a venting adapter unit.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mid-stream urine collection adapter unit which is designed to be mass-produced at a minimum cost.
Still another object of the present invention is to provice improved catheter venting and mid-stream urine collection devices which can be manufactured at a minimum cost and overall size and complexity.